Tuesday, 12 April 2016

Exciting April!

HelloBirds north of the causeway at Pitsford Reservoir this morning included a small flock of terns made up of three Common and two Arctic Terns. Later these birds had disappeared but two Black Terns were present instead. The Green Sandpiper was on the pools below the dam this evening.Sywell Country Park hosted two adult Little Gulls, 2-3 singing Sedge Warblers, a Cetti's Warbler and a Grey Wagtail.Early this afternoon Harrington Airfield finally sprung in to action for Eleanor and produced views of a male Ring Ouzel around the second bunker, two Wheatears, a Yellow Wagtail, some fly-over Fieldfares and two pairs of Grey Partridge. At least one Ring Ouzel, possibly two, was seen by Cathy Ryden this evening. Initially a male was visible from the main concrete track and flew off and then the same or another flew towards the bunkers on the rough area and then foraged in one of the fields. Please note that the bunker and rough areas will be out of bounds on Sunday 17th and Monday 18th April for ringing operations. Should you wish to attend and watch proceedings this can be accommodated but I would need to know beforehand in order to comply with landowner requests.A Barn Owl was in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this afternoon.John Hunt reports that yesterday the excellent parentage of the Egyptian Geese at Oundle Marina was paying off with eight goslings still hale and hearty! Nearby a pair of Mandarin Duck were at Barnwell Country Park on North Lake.During the last month we have been fortunate to have Tawny, Little and Barn Owls all vocally active around the village, some evenings with all three species calling at the same time. Tawny and Little Owls tend to be perched when they call but Barn Owls regularly call in flight and most late evenings when I'm out with the dogs I hear a Barn Owl calling as it completes its territorial flights. The mournful call of the male Little Owl living close to our garden suggests he doesn't have a partner this year...RegardsNeil M

A Rutland Water Osprey caughtin the act of stealing nestingmaterial from a Greylag Goose nest!